Electric drying apparatus



v Feb. 19 1924.

' E. L. EMERSON ELECTRIC DRYING APPARATUS Filed Jan- 19, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m/emar ZLEMEBJON Feb. 19 1924.

E. EMERSON ELECTRIC DRYING APPARATUS 'Filed Jan.l19, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lf2 ven for E L EME/BJON Patented F eb. 19, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN L. EMERSON, OF BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC DRYING APPARATUS.

Application led January 19, 1920. Serial No. 352,409.

' To all whom it may conce/m.'

Be it known that I, EDWIN L. EMERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Braintree, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Drying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an electric drying apparatus for use in shoe factories, by means of which foot wear may be subjected to moderate` heat and dried, as the occasion may demand. More especially the object of the invention is to provide a sturdy, durable, portable apparatus, on which the articles to be heated or dried may be placed with convenience, and easily removed in sight of the operatives.

In the manufacture of shoes there are occasions when the shoes are dampened, as when the shoes are tempered, and other occasions when there are volatile solvents to be driven off; as when the partially formed shoe is provided with a filler containing such a solvent. It is desirable under these circumstances that the solvent be quickly driven oil", or in case of tempering that the shoes be quickly dried, and it is of importance in this connection that the amount of heat to which the articles are subjected, be capable of being regulated.

One feature of my invention consists in a novel organization comprising one or more electrical heating elements, means for supporting the articles to be dried above said elements, and means for distributing the heat laterally under the article supporting means so that articles placed in various localities will be heated and dried substantially uniformly even when some of them are farther remote than others from the heating element or elements. As shown, each of a plurality of heating elements is enclosed in and protected by an individual casing of heat-conducting material, while each of said casings is in heat-conducting relation to a heat-distributing plate having an area substantially commensurate with the entire range of the article-supporting means. Provision is also made for regulating the heating effect of the heating elements by coupling them in various ways to the source of electrical energy so that they may be operated selectively or in parallel or in groups arranged in series.

Another feature consists in a novel construction and arrangement of means for delecting and directing currents 0f air induced by the heating means tov increase the efficiency of the apparatus.

It is obvious thaty my device, while designed for Ydrying shoes, may be used in drying a variety of articles; and it willbe understood the specific embodiment shown on the drawings and described in the specification is illustrative of the invention which is not limited to the details thereof except as expressed in the claims, it being obvious that other applications of my device and many changes in the construction and relation of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section thereof.

Fig. 3 is a plan view in which certain parts are broken away to show the heat-generating and heat-distributing elements.

Fig. 4 is a plan view on a larger scale of fragments including a portion of one of the electrical heat-generating elements.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section through the structure intersected b line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

F ig. 6 is a section through the structure intersected by line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Figs. 7 8 and 9 illustrate various relations in which the resistance elements may be connected to a switchboard to obtain regulaltions of the quantity and distribution of eat.

The illustrated apparatus comprises a portable frame 15, .a heat-generating and distributing mechanism 16 and a hood 17.

The frame 15, which holds the other elements of my device spaced above the floor or ground, comp-rises legs 18 of angle iron fastened together in pairs by means of bars 19 and 20 of angle iron running transversely of the dryer, and attached near the top and bottom of the legs by any suitable fastenings, such as rivets or the like. Attached to the upper ends of the legs in a similar manner and running longitudinally of the dryer is a pair of angle bars 21. These longitudinal bars are braced to the legs by means of brace bars 22 and bars 19 are similarly braced to the legs by means of brace bars 122. These brace bars may be made of flat stock. Extending from the upper ends of the legs are struts or braces 23, adapted to support the hood or enclosure 17.

This hood, which is designed to surround the heat generating and distributing mechanism and to direct the currents ot' air up and around this mechanism, and thence up around the articles to be dried, comprises a skirt member 24 sloping downwardly and outwardly about the upper end of the frame 15, and which is rectangular, as to any section taken horizontally therethrough. The upper portion is provided with inwardly extending flanges 25 along its two longer sides and to these flanges and to the ends of the hood is attached by suitable means, the table or supporting member 26 of wire fabric or the like. Upon this Wire fabric table the shoe or other articles to be dried may be placed for support in proximity to the heat generating mechanism. At the junction of the anges 25 and the inclined portion of the hood are beads or ribs 126, extending longitudinally of the upper edges of the hood. These ribs afford a strengthening means for the upper end of the hood and serve as a retaining rim for articles placed on the table.

Supported within the hood intermediate between the top and bottom thereof and in spaced relation to the sidewalls thereof, is t e heat generating and distributing mechanism 16. This heat generating and heat distributing mechanism comprises electric heating elements or units 28, and a heat distributing plate 29. The heat generating elements 28 consist of metallic members of any convenient shape, (shown in the shape of a Greek frieze), which are flanked on both sides by sheets 30, 31 of electrical resistance material, such as mica.

The resistance elements are made of some material, such as nicrome steel, having a high electrical resistance. These resistance element-s, as shown, are four in number, and are arranged transversely of the frame and are supported by elongated bars 32, the ends of which are attached to and insulated from the side angle irons 2l. Surrounding the resistance elements and the insulation associated therewith, are metal casings 33 for protecting the insulation, which are provided with flanges 34 taking under the supporting bars 32 to secure the parts together. These casings besides being protectors or covers for the insulation, have the additional function of conducting heat from the insulating material surrounding the resistance elements to the distributing plate 29 with which they are in contact, and also radiating heat from their own surfaces.

The ends of the bars 32, as stated above,

are attached to the side angle irons by suitable fastening means, which may comprise bolts 35 passing through apertures in the ends of the bars 32, through eyelets 36, having upset ends 39 and washers or collars 38 of insulating material surrounding the eyelets and insulating the bars 32 from the angle iron supporting bars 21. The insulating washers or collars 38 are flanked for .support on both upper and lower surfaces by washers 139 located between the insulation and the upset ends of the eyelets 36. The bolts are provided with the usual washers and nut for securely fastening the same in place.

The heat distributing plate 29 has for its object to distribute the heat produced in the resistance elements over the area beneath the screen 26. The plate, which is preferably of some material having a high coefficient of heat conductivity, is supported upon a heat insulating slab or plate member 40, and is in contact therewith throughout its entire adjacent surface. The member 40 is in turn supported on the end angle irons 19. The purpose of this insulating plate, which may be made of magnesia, asbestos or like heat insulating material is to prevent the radiation of heat in a downward direction and the consequent loss thereof.

The degree of heat desired may vary and the distribution thereof over the heated area may vary. For instance, it may be desirable to have a high degree of heat at one end of the dryer and a comparatively low degree at the other end, or it may be desirable to have the heat practically uniform throughout. By a suitable system of wiring it is possible to produce a variety of conditions of heating. It will be observed by reierence toFigure 3 and to the wiring diagram, shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, that the arrangement of these conductors in relation to the heat producing resistance elements may be as follows. Arranged in pairs the resistance elements are connected together at one end by conductors 51, and to a suitable switchboard 41 by means of electrical conductors 42, 43. At the other end the resistance elements are all connected by means of the wiring 44 extending to all of them. At a point between the two pairs of resistance elements is an additional conductor 45 in electrical connection with the conductor 44 and loading to the switchboard. In this arrangement, it is obvious by referring to Figures 7, 8 and 9 that by suitable movable switch elements, two of the resistance elements may be placed in parallel, with the other two out out of the circuit, as in Figure 7, or the two` pairs, arranged in parallel, may be connected in series, with the conductor 44 cut out of the circuit as in Figure 8, or the four resistance elements may be connected in multiple as shown in Figure 9, as a result of whlch varying degrees of temperature and distribution may be obtained as desired. Other systems of wiring and groupings of the resistance elements may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Electric connection between the conductors 44 and 51, and the resistance members 28 is made as follows: The resistance members 28 have extensions 50 which are provided with apertures. The supporting member 32 and the insulating member 40 are likewise apertured 'in alignment with the aperture in extension 50. Passing through these apertures is a binding bolt 52 which is surrounded by an eyelet or sleeve 53 insulated from member 32 in a similar manner to that by which eyelets 36 are insulated. The eyelet 53 is in electrical connection with the resistance member 28 through the washer 54. The head of bolt 52 rests on a washer 55 resting on the upper end of the eyelet and a washer 56 is located between the lower end of said eyelet and nut 57. Between this nut and a second nut 58 are located two contact discs or washers 59, 60, adapted to have an electric conductor clamped therebetween by means ofthe nut 58. Through these discs the bolt 52, the eyelet 53 and the washers 54, 55, electric connection is made with the resistance member.

The shoes or other articles to be dried are placed upon the wire screen table 26 and the current is turned on by properly manipulating the switchboard, described above, as desired. Heat is consequently produced in the resistance elements, passes through the electrical insulators 30, 31 and is both radiated and conducted by the casing 33 to the distributing plate 29. The distributing plate, thus locally heated, conducts the heat throughout the body thereof and radiates it l:from an extended surface, heat being prevented from being radiated or conducted downwardly by means of the heat insulator 40. The hood 17 is so formed and arranged as to provide a rectangular space or passageway for air surrounding the heatgenerating and distributing assemblage. In practice the heat radiated upwardly from the units 16 and distributing plate 29 induces a current of air to rise through the above-mentioned passageway, and since the sides of the hood converge toward the top and are provided with inwardlyextending flanges 25 the air is defiected toward the center of the apparatus between the distributing plate and the supporting table 26. The current of air thus directed su plements the heat-distributing effect o the plate 29 and otherwise increases the eiciency of the apparatus.

It will be observed that I have produced a simple, strong, durable and portable mechanism for drying articles, in which the heat generated by electricity in resistance elements may-bedistributed as desired over a considerable area and in which the resistance elements are enclosed to prevent being short circuited or damaged by articles, such as nails, grease, etc., falling from the table.

Havingr thus explained the nat-ure of my said invention and described a way of making and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, what I claim is:

1. A device ofthe class described comprising a heat generating element, a casing covering said element, and a foraminous table located above said element for supporting articles to be dried.

2. A device of the class described comprising an open Work table for supporting articles to be dried, a heat distributing plate below said table, and heating elements in heat conducting relation to said plate.

3. A device of the class described comprising a foraminous aricle holding table, electrical resistance elements positioned below said table, and means for protecting said elements from contact by articles falling from said table.

4. A device of the class described comprising an electrical heating element, a casing covering said element, and a support for articles to be heated spaced from said casing.

5. A device of the class described comprising an electrical heating element, a metallic casing enclosing said element, a heat conducting plate with4 which said casing contacts, and an article support positioned in proximity to said plate.

6. A device of the class described comprising a localized heating element, a protecting casing for said element`v a heat conducting plate positioned to be heated by said element and to furnish an extended heating surface, and an article support arranged in proximity to said plate.

7. A device of the class described comprising a heat conducting and radiating plate. electric heating elements spaced along said plate, a source of electric power, and means for controlling the distribution of power from said source to said elements to vary the extent and distribution of heat over said plate edge of said table and enclosing and spaced from said plate.

l0. A device of the class described comprising heating elements, a. plate heated locally by said elements for distributing the heating effect over an extended area, a oraminous article supporting table positioned above said plate, a hood depending from the edge of said table and enclosing and spaced from said plate, and a heat insulating plate beneath said distributing late.

p 11.A heating apparatus comprising a plate of heat-conducting material, one or more heating elements in heat-conducting relation to the upper surface of said plate, and means for supporting the Work above and adjacent to said plate.

12. A heating apparatus comprising a plate of heat-conducting material, one or more heating elements in contact with the upper surface of said plate, a plate of heatresisting material in confronting relation to the lower surface of the first said plate to counteract downward radiation of heat, and means for supporting the Work above and adjacent to the first said plate.

In testimony7 whereof I have affixed my signature.

EDWIN L. EMERSON. 

